Friday, January 21, 2005

Embarrassment in Colorado Springs

From yesterday's New York Times, "Conservatives Pick Soft Target: A Cartoon Sponge" by David Kirkpatrick....

"On the heels of electoral victories barring same-sex marriage, some influential conservative Christian groups are turning their attention to a new target: the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.

'Does anybody here know SpongeBob?' Dr. James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, asked the guests Tuesday night at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies to celebrate the election results.

SpongeBob needed no introduction. In addition to his popularity among children, who watch his cartoon show, he has become a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show 'The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.'

Now, Dr. Dobson said, SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a 'tolerance pledge' that includes tolerance for differences of 'sexual identity.'

The video's creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit "We Are Family," said Mr. Dobson's objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism. The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity. The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site. Mr. Rodgers suggested that Dr. Dobson and the American Family Association, the conservative Christian group that first sounded the alarm, might have been confused because of an unrelated Web site belonging to another group called "We Are Family," which supports gay youth.
'The fact that some people may be upset with each other peoples' lifestyles, that is O.K.,' Mr. Rodgers said. 'We are just talking about respect' ....

On Wednesday however, Paul Batura, assistant to Mr. Dobson at Focus on the Family, said the group stood by its accusation. 'We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids,' he said. 'It is a classic bait and switch.' "With all the violence, anger, greed, poverty, disease and even genocidal intolerance in this world, with all the children who are hungry, homeless, abused, or undereducated, and James Dobson uses a captive Congressional audience to complain about possibly gay tendencies of a fictional, cartoon character?Dr. Dobson demeans and damages all the good his Focus on the Family has done for families with his silly, childish behavior and grossly misplaced priorities. He's become an embarrassment to the evangelical Christian movement that he seeks to support. He could've accomplished greater miracles for families had he maintained Billy Graham-style Godly love for all, rather than morphing into a narcissistic, political caricature. How sad.